Evanston will begin construction in mid-June on a new protected bike lane on Church Street. The city will start building the eastbound bike lane from Dodge Avenue to Ashland Avenue. In August, a separate segment will extend from Ridge Avenue to Chicago Avenue. A contract for the first project was awarded last month, according to to documents presented by Suzette Robinson, the city’s director of public works, at a recent Downtown Evanston meeting. A contract for the second will be awarded in June and construction will span from August to October. One eastbound traffic lane will be running at all times during construction, and no more than two blocks will be under construction at a given time. Construction of the bike lane will begin in August and run through mid-October. The final phase of the construction will involve painting the new bike lane jade, after the color beat out four others in an online poll in March. In October 2011, Evanston applied for an $11.7 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery III grant, a federal program that exists “to invest in road, rail, transit and port projects that promise to achieve critical national objectives,” according to the U.S. Department of Transportation website. The Daily reported in April the city was denied the grant but City Council voted to fund the project anyway. Chris Mailing, the owner of Turin Bicycle, 1027 Davis St., spoke positively about the new plans, saying they demonstrate the city’s commitment to growing cycling and profiting from its various benefits. “I think it’s great,” Mailing said. “It encourages active living, it helps the community, helps reduce global warming, reduces the country’s dependence on foreign oil. It shows a lot of great things and how Evanston is committed to making them happen.” According to the presentation, the city plans to extend the eastbound Church Street bike path to the Lakefront Bike Path in 2013 and install a similar westbound path. The Public Works Department will also “identify other streets for protected bike paths” next year.

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